"I've dealt with one prison officer involved in this situation, whose life has fallen apart," he said.

"He's had to give up his work and was left with serious psychological damage which he will carry for the rest of his life.

"I think to celebrate the Maze escape is glorifying in acts of terrorism and
rubbing salt into the wounds of those who were victimised as a result."

Jeffrey Donaldson said party was "inappropriate"

The Prison Officers' Association said the event was disgraceful.

Spokesman Finlay Spratt said it was "contemptible" and an "outrage".

According to an advertisement in the republican weekly newspaper, An Phoblacht, the "true story" of the escape was told by, among others, Sinn Fein's Gerry Kelly and former IRA chief in the Maze, Brendan "Bic" McFarlane.

Both IRA men escaped.

Mr Kelly had been jailed for life in 1973 for the Old Bailey and Scotland Yard bombings and after his escape from the Maze he was eventually captured in Holland.

The event took place in a hotel in Donegal

He later went on to become the Sinn Fein representative for north Belfast in
the now suspended Stormont Assembly.

Sinn Fein's Gerry Kelly defended the event from which the media was excluded.

He said it was a "significant event in republicans' history".

Half of the escapees were recaptured but 19 got away from the security forces.

Nine of those who escaped are now dead and their families were honoured at the event.

Three of the escapees are still officially at large. They are Kevin Barry Art, Paul Brennan and Terence Kirby.

The Prison Service said they were not being "actively pursued".

The Maze Prison housed some of Northern Ireland's most notorious paramilitary prisoners during the Troubles.

It closed in September 2000 as a result of the Good Friday Agreement's early prisoner release scheme.